New HDMI Spec Due In 2nd Half

By John Laposky -- TWICE, 1/23/2012

LAS VEGAS — The HDMI Forum said at International CES it expects to release the next-generation HDMI specification, capable of delivering higher-resolution video, in the second half of 2012.

Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, told reporters the forum, which was formed last year and now boasts 43 member companies, has three primary goals for the yet-unnamed spec: increased bandwidth to accommodate higher resolutions; broader video timing support to accommodate a wider variety of formats, and improved connectivity with handheld and mobile devices, perhaps with charging capabilities built in.

Venuti said this will be the first new spec developed and authorized by the HDMI Forum, which succeeded the original seven-member HDMI Founders’ Group in 2011.

Venuti also announced that more than 1,150 licensed HDMI adopters are expected to ship more than 800 million HDMI-compliant products in 2012, according to market research firm In-Stat; an increase of 17 percent over shipments in 2011. This translates into an installed base of more than 3.1 billion HDMI products deployed worldwide, a 34 percent increase over 2011.

The forum is open to any company that wants to be a member for a $15,000/ year membership fee. There are 43 members constituting the current forum.